The Royal Family
by isolatedsociety
Summary: It's one thing to rule a country, another thing to be a parent. Cinder and Kai have a challenge in front of them, but it comes with great reward. A (hopefully) fun story that shows that even in the future, family is one of the most important things. Disclaimer: I do not own the Lunar Chronicles or any of its fantastic characters, and I'm definitely not a parent. Enjoy!
1. Realization

**This is the rewritten version of the first chapter because I wasn't very happy with the writing in the orginal. Really nothing changed but some actions and I clarified a couple things.**

The crowd smelled like expensive perfume, champagne, and a slight undertone of sweat from the dancing. Laughter bubbled from the mouths of the guests of the Annual Peace Ball. As Empress, Cinder had already made all the mandatory hostess greetings with Kai. Some of them (Adri) made her feel like she was ripping her own teeth out, but any job comes with downsides.

Someone tapped her shoulder. She spun to face her blonde friend, who looked uncomfortable and alone. "Winter's off dancing with Wolf, and I don't actually want to interact with anybody here," Jacin said, "Can I offer you a dance?" His eyes screamed _please!_

Cinder rolled her eyes. "I would just tell you to suck it up. Experiences like this build character." Before he could groan and turn away, she held up a finger. "But I'm just as desperate as you are, let's do it."

He placed hand on her hip and they put their attention into to beat of the music, allowing it to drown out the senseless chatter of the guests.

"How's your stepmother?" Jacin asked after a moment.

"Don't get me started. She likes to make underhand comments about 'deceitful Lunars', 'subhuman cyborgs', and only addresses Kai. Honestly, if she talked to me I might strangle her, so it's for the best."

He laughed. "I wouldn't mind seeing that. You outrank her now, and it's hilarious how bitter she is."

"You'd think dealing with powerful people every other day would give her some humility," she said, as they nearly spun right into a possibly drunk couple.

After regaining her sense of rhythm and balance, she continued the conversation. "So, how's finally practicing medicine going?"

"I have incredibly low standards for jobs, seeing as I spent a couple years guarding an actual witch, but either way it's amazing."

"Yeah, you achieved your childhood dream. Not everyone can say they did that."

"I'm sure. You're the _Empress_ , but you probably dreamed of being something very practical." He smirked.

"Are you saying my current occupation isn't practical?" She raised an eyebrow, laughing.

Midlaugh, a light Cinder had never seen before blinked on her retina display. She stopped in her tracks, squinting to read the message.

 **Pregnancy Detected. Making necessary body adjustments.** A list of chemical levels flashed on the side, showing her what was happening. She clapped a hand to her mouth, stumbling backwards

Jacin pulled her to the side of the floor and to one of the nearby tables, sitting her down. "What? What's happening? Are you ok?" When she didn't automatically respond, he gave her shoulders a light shake. "Talk to me Cinder, I'm a doctor."

She gave a shaky laugh. "Since about two years ago, how much experience do you have?"

"Not funny. What's happening?" He phrased more like a demand then a question, bent over her worriedly.

She inhaled slowly, then looked him in the eye. "I'm pregnant."

He stared at her for a few seconds, then the tension in his shoulders eased noticeably. "That's… good, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. We wanted this, but, um, I wasn't totally prepared for it _right now._ "

Jacin glanced at his surroundings. "Not really the best place to find out," he said, making her crack a nervous smile. "Do you want me to go find Kai?"

"Please." As he left, she laced her fingers together on the table. _Pregnant._

Jacin shouldered his way through the crowds of people as gently as possible, but it was all he could do not to shove them out of his way. He spotted the familiar black curls of Winter, who was talking animatedly with Cress and Scarlet. She waved him over to their little crowd.

With a hand on his chest, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Enjoying the ball?"

He made a face. "Not particularly. Have you seen Kai?"

"I think he was over that way," she said, gesturing to a crowd of people who looked very important, "entertaining the masses. You could rescue him."

Jacin nodded. "Will do."

"Is everything alright?" Scarlet asked as he was about to turn away.

"Fine, I'll catch you guys later." He needed to get the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth as soon as possible.

He kept his eyes on a splotch of black hair that he recognized as Kai's as he pushed through the crowd, apologizing before forging forward. He almost knocked over the drink of a young woman who gave him a death glare strong enough that he could feel it on his back as he kept moving.

Kai was speaking to an elderly man with Torin, probably about something serious and political. He spotted Jacin coming up to him and excused himself. "How's it going? Have you seen Cinder recently?"

He lowered his voice. "That's why I'm here. Could I borrow you for a minute?"

Kai's eyes widened. "Of course." He leaned towards Jacin. "What's going on?"

"Nothing bad," Jacin said quickly, "but you should probably come with me."

Clearly confused, Kai followed Jacin as they tried to push their way through the crowd with as little anger from the guests as possible. They found Cinder at her table, and tension cleared from her face as she noticed her husband.

He pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. "Are you ok?" His words were edged with worry.

Cinder smiled nervously. "I'm fine, I think."

He gave her a look of confusion.

She took in a sharp breath. "Umm, not exactly sure how I'm supposed to tell you this, but I'm-" she took in a breath "-pregnant?" She hunched her shoulders, biting her lip.

Kai stared at her, open mouthed, eyes searching hers. Jacin couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at the ridiculous look on his face. The sound seemed to jar the Emperor from his shock, and his eyes flicked to jacin before returning to Cinder.

He shook his head. "Well, that is whole lot better than other options."

Cinder laughed, and pulled him to her by the collar to give him a kiss. When they broke apart, he gave her a wide grin, shaking his head.

"Stars Above, we're going to be _parents._ "

"Add it to you list of titles." She said with a laugh as she felt herself relax and the excitement settle in.

"I think it's my favorite."

They kissed again.

 **Leave any requests or suggestions in the comments, and have a great day or night! Thank you for your time.**


	2. Princess

Kai was a tiny bit stressed. Which, as statements like that generally are, was underrating the truth. Between running a country and a wife who was eight months pregnant, he was spread thin. Cinder, as always , helped as much as she could with the governing aspect of life, though her ability to do so had been decreasing month by month. Kai couldn't truly understand what she was going through, but he trusted her to know her limits.

However, that wasn't the entire problem. He was worried about the future. He had loved his parents, but was having some trouble envisioning himself in their roles, as a father. Kai didn't understand how one _did_ that. How could you be that kind of figure in someone's life, something _twice_ as important than Emperor. The only one of his friends who could relate was Wolf. He and Scarlet had twin girls, Maha and Michelle, who would be three in four months.

He didn't particularly think through his actions as he tapped the comm option below Ze'ev Benoit-Kelsey's name. It was around eleven o'clock at night, but only five for the farm. He sat in his office chair, tapping a stylus against the desk as he waited for him to pick up.

The picture on his port blurred for a moment, then came into focus on the sharp-toothed face of Wolf.

He squinted at his screen, brow furrowed. "Kai? Wha- isn't it midnight in New Beijing?"

"Eleven, actually." Kai tucked the stylus into a desk drawer. Placing his elbows on the desk, he laced his finger through each other.

He sighed. "Same thing. Why do you need to talk so late at night?"

Kai shifted in his seat. "I have some, um, questions… about parenting?"

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "So you called me."

"I mean, you're a parent, so maybe-"

"You thought I'd be able to help?" Despite his words, his tone was anything but teasing.

"Yeah."

Wolf contemplated the question as giggles and footsteps faded in and out of the background. "I think it's all about seeing yourself as a father. If you don't believe it, how can your children?"

"That's a good point, I guess." Kai ran a hand through his hair. Cinder would smirk at him for messing with it.

Wolf gave a helpless shrug. "Other than that, I'm winging it."

Kai laughed. "You're doing an excellent job."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

Scarlet's voice rang through the house, slightly muffled through the wall. "PUT THAT DOWN!" Her shout was followed by incoherent words, though Kai definitely caught "She started it!"

Wolf sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to do some parenting-"He smiled at the word, "-got to go." And with that, the screen went dark.

Kai sighed, and spun in his chair to find Cinder leaning against the office door frame.

"Was that Wolf?" she asked, taking a seat in her chair across from him.

"Yeah. We were talking about fatherhood, and that sort of thing." He pushed the portscreen onto the desk. "I would like you to know that I only have a vague idea what I'm going to do."

Her smile faded. "Same with me. Childhood was not my best time."

"Are you kidding?" He leaned forward. "You're going to be great."

She smiled. "And you'll be twice as good."

He scratched behind his ear. Clearing his throat, he said "Anyway, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you?"

"Yes. I'm making bad choices." He stood and stretched his arms above his head, making his joints pop. Turning to face her again, he said, "Care to make some better ones with me?" He held out a hand.

Cinder slipped her cyborg hand into his. "I'd love to."

 **Three Weeks Later**

Her labor came in the afternoon. Kai was in the garden, Cinder in the office, so he had no real idea how she got to the palace infirmary. All he got was a quick comm: _Labor starting. Get to the infirmary ASAP._ Bolting to his feet, he stuffed the portscreen into his pocket.

He raced through the palace as fast as he could, almost taking a wrong turn. Bursting into the infirmary, he half-heard a nurse tell him where the Empress was, then he was beside the bed where Cinder grabbed his hand and squeezed (thankfully with her human hand, otherwise he might have some broken fingers).

Cinder looked into his eyes. "This will be fun."

He gave a choked laugh. "Only for you."

The next ten hours was a mix of Cinder seeming extremely bored or extremely uncomfortable due to the contractions that became more and more frequent. At about two in the morning, the true challenge started. The midwife gave her firm instructions: " _Push!_ " and " _Breathe._ "

The baby's head started to come, and Cinder grabbed to front of Kai's shirt. He held on to her wrist and muttered words of encouragement.

"There's the head!" the midwife said. "Keep going, you're doing great."

There was a pause, Cinder gasped for a long breath, and the rest of the child came into the world.

The nurse smiled gently. "You have a beautiful baby girl." She passed the tiny child to an exhausted-looking Cinder, who held the infant to her chest, skin against skin.

A shrill, guttural wail pierced the moment of awe.

"Hello," she whispered.

The infant wailed again in return.

Kai gave her wide grin and kissed the top of his wife's head. "You were amazing." She laughed quietly, leaning on him with an air of victory. The baby girl in her arms squirmed a bit, then squinted open her wrinkled eyelids to reveal coppery brown eyes. She cried, her lungs taking in their fifth breath ever.

"What should we name her?" she murmured.

"Seeing as you did most of the work here, it's your pick." He tucked her hair behind her ears.

Cinder pondered this for a moment, then looked back at the child, who had yet to stop crying. "Reika."

Kai was a little taken aback. "A feminine version of my father's name?"

"Or something."

He smiled, beyond happiness. "Either way, it's perfect."

"Princess Reika." Cinder closed her eyes.

Kai looked at the baby girl, _his_ baby girl, and finally saw himself as a father.

 **Reika is pronounced ray-kuh.**

 **This chapter was particularly difficult to write as it explores things I can make zero connections to. LOTS of talking to a former midwife (Thanks for putting up with my questions- couldn't have done this without you!). I hope to continue to update every Monday. Have a great day or night.**


	3. Firsts

**Sorry for the delay on this chapter, stuff came up and I didn't have it finished, and couldn't even have posted if I wanted. But this one's twice the normal length (don't expect me to keep it up), so I hope that makes up for it.**

 _Reika's age- two months_

Cinder blinked her eyes, clearing the fog of sleep. Beside her, Reika lay, back on the mattress. Behind her, Kai slept with an arm looped around her waist. Gray light was beginning to filter through the window, casting small shadows on the wall. She let out a long, contented sigh, shifting a little, eyes heavy with exhaustion.

Before she could drift back into dreams, she found herself staring into the large, brown eyes of her daughter, who gave a tiny yawn.

Checking the clock, Cinder sighed. "You probably need to fed, don't you?"

Reika gurgled in answer.

Untangling herself from Kai's arms and the blankets, she scooped up the baby. Cinder wrapped her in a soft, green blanket, breathing words of comfort to keep her quiet. She fed the child in the rocking chair, sitting in the corner of the room.

Ten minutes or so later, Reika stopped suckling. She looked up at her mother and gave a smile, though with babies it's usually because they're passing gas. Cinder gave her nose a soft tap. Reika swung her arm and gave a coo in answer. Smiling, Cinder tapped her nose again.

And she laughed.

It was the first time she had ever laughed. It was a squealing, gurgling sound, and completely adorable. Her mother couldn't but join in with a soft chuckle. She shifted her arms around Reika, tucking the blanket in. With a sigh, she stood up, bouncing Reika in her arms.

Kai, across the room, sat up. "Did she just laugh?"

Cinder grinned. "Yes!" She sized up his position. "How long have you been awake?"

He yawned, pushing a hand through his hair as he swung his legs to the edge of the mattress. "Not long enough." Kai shuffled across the room to pull her close, rubbing her lower back. "Do you want me to take her?"

Cinder leaned into his warmth. "Please." She lowered the green-wrapped bundle into his arms.

 _Reika's age- four months_

Kai was in the office, his daughter lying on a mat. She had recently learned how to grasp objects. Now, she was waving around a brightly colored toy. He was looking over last minute details for the ball that night, or at least trying to. Cinder was supervising decorations and final preparations.

"Gah!" Reika whacked the toy against the mat, and it slipped from her weak grip. She looked at it with her big brown eyes, just out of reach.

Anticipating cries, Kai began to rise from his chair, but he noticed her beginning to squirm, a purposeful expression of her face: eyebrows lowered, mouth puckered into a frown. She shifted her weight, lifting her head and shoulders. With a push, she rolled over, closer to the toy. Kai watched her, transfixed. She smacked the mat near the toy with a tiny hand.

He walked over and crouched down next to her. "You just rolled over, you know."

She gestured at the toy from her position on her belly. "Gah!"

Kai laughed. Scooping her up, he placed her back to sitting against her cushion. He held out the toy in front of her until she managed to wrap her fingers around it.

Reika looked at her father with big, round eyes, mouth curved into a wide smile. He kissed her forehead. As he pulled away, she placed her free hand on his nose. Chuckling, he tickled her stomach and stood.

He pulled out his port and sent a quick comm to Cinder. **She rolled over!**

She replied almost immediately. **Really? Just now?**

 **Yep.** Kai glanced at Reika, who gone back to waving her toy.

"I missed it by five seconds, are you kidding me?" Cinder stood in the hall, eyes twinkling.

Tucking his portscreen into his back pocket, Kai couldn't help but laugh. "That was unlucky." He slipped his arms around her waist to press a quick kiss against her lips.

"Tell me about it." Cinder looked down at her daughter. "I hear you're rolling over now."

"Dah." Reika waved her toy happily.

Kai laced his fingers through Cinder's. "She says, 'duh, Mom'."

Before she could reply, Iko burst through the door, Kinney at her heels. "Who's ready for the Peace Festival!" Kinney, behind her, rolled his eyes.

Cinder returned his gesture. "Not me. I've done absolutely nothing involving this festival in my entire life."

Iko ignored her, rushing over to Reika. "I bet you're excited," she said, ruffling the princess' hair.

"She's likely more excited about the fact that she just rolled over." Kai's face beamed with pride.

"Really? You're growing up so fast," the android cooed. "Who's a big girl now?"

Cinder untangled her fingers from her husband's to pick up Reika, who gave a happy squeak. "We've got places to be, weirdos. Let's go."

 _Reika's age- six months_

Cinder leaned over Kai's shoulder to look at the netscreen in front of them. It glowed with a display of a map of the Commonwealth. Sectors of it were lit with blue dots, representing the Lunar population of each area. The dots seemed to mostly group in cities, leaving the rest of the map almost blank.

She pointed at a large, empty space. "And that's where people originally voted for no immigration?"

Kai nodded. "Officials report that residents there have been purposely hostile to Lunar immigrants, and now the Lunars choose to avoid the area."

"Is there really anything we can do? There haven't been any violations of assault laws. Just a bunch of angry people." Cinder massaged her temples.

"The only violation was the one murder, before law enforcement caught on. As it's a single person acting against the law, there's no way to do anything. It's just prejudice." Kai shook his head. "We can't even prove that, so it doesn't matter."

Cinder drummed her fingers on the desk. "Could we give immigrants notes on areas that have been known to be… unfriendly toward their people?"

"Technically, yes. Realistically, it would require many surveys across the entire country, and people are often unaware of the depth of their fear." He shoved a hand through his hair. "So no."

"What are other nations doing about this? Don't they experience similar problems?"

Kai gave a wry laugh. "I'm pretty sure most of them are doing nothing."

"Is there anything we _can_ do?"

"Address the issue with the public, but it's not necessarily going to get people to change."

She sighed. "So nothing, then." Cinder stood up from her stooped position. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath.

The beat of silence was broken by Reika, in the corner of the room. She gave a little squeal to get her parent's attention. They turned to see her sitting up, with no cushion or other support. Reika laughed and waved her arms, clearly aware of her achievement.

Cinder rushed over to her daughter, Kai at her heels. "Look at you!' she cooed, smiling at the girl. "Sitting all by yourself."

Reika gurgled happily in answer.

Kai crossed his arms behind them. "Before we know it, she'll be walking." His grin was warm, eyes crinkled at the edges.

Cinder held out a finger for Reika to wrap a hand around. "She's already half a year old, can you believe it?"

Kai sat down next to his family. "Not really." He watched them, the picture of happiness. The earlier stress was momentarily forgotten in the light of Reika's achievement.

 _Reika's age- seven and a half months_

Torin was on babysitting duty.

It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. The emperor and empress both had to attend an important press conference, one where children under a year old would not be appreciated, no matter how cute they may be. So the elderly advisor found himself watching the princess stack toy rings on top of each other, scooting on her but around a mat.

Reika was very deliberate with her toy rings, often looking up at Torin with her big, brown eyes to say various gibberish in a serious tone. Torin smiled at the princess, who seemed to know her future importance at about seven months old.

He turned away from the child for a moment to assess the documents in front of him, trying to remember the statistics. He tapped his portscreen absentmindedly, splitting his focus between Reika and the task at hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lie down on her back and roll onto her stomach.

Curious, the advisor watched as she pushed her weight onto her arms and shuffled her knees forward. Then, she crawled forward, with an expression of intent on her small face.

Torin fumbled with his port, trying to get it in a good position to record this moment for Cinder and Kai. They would want to see their daughter crawling for the first time.

He watched through the screen as Reika shuffled her way around her mat. She looked up at Torin, noticing his portscreen, and gave a wide smile to the camera. He couldn't help but chuckle at her readiness to be recorded.

Then, as if she forgot what she had been doing, Reika placed a hand in front of herself to keep crawling, placing it right in the center of one of her forgotten plastic rings. Off balance, she stumbled and fell, flat on her face. She bawled, not trying to push herself back upright.

Torin put down the portscreen. He bent down to pick her up. Bouncing her against his chest, he whispered at her until her crying subsided. "You're alright, you're fine, just a little fall."

Reika, tears drying, sniffed at him, frowning.

He only gave her a kind smile. "You crawled for the first time, your Highness. I think that outweighs the horror of taking a little fall, don't you?"

But Reika yawned, and just like that, she was fast asleep in his arms. The crawling and crying had drained the princess. Torin put her in her crib and returned to his desk.

He pulled up the video on his portscreen. With a few quick taps, he sent it to Kai, along with a short message. Looking over at the crib, he smiled. The little princess was a light in all of their lives.

 _Reika's age- ten months_

"Okay, kiddo, here are your blocks." Cinder placed a small bin next to Reika, who looked delighted and clapped her hands. The bin was filled with big, plastic blue blocks of various shapes and sizes. Cinder sat down next to her, legs crossed. She pulled out two cubes. "Do you want to build a tower with me?"

Reika grinned and smacked one of the blocks in her mother's hands. She passed it to her, then set her remaining block on the ground.

Cinder tapped the top of it. "Put yours here, kiddo."

Reika obeyed. "Yeh!" she said, gesturing at her success. That was another one of her developments: she could now say "mama", "dada", her own version of "yes", and "no" (which was one of her favorites).

Cinder clapped. "Nice job, kiddo. Want another one?" She held out a third block. Her daughter repeated the process. When Cinder held out a fifth block, Reika set it down unevenly, and the small tower toppled to the floor. Before she could begin to cry, her mother stacked three of them back on top of each other. "Here, put the rest back."

Reika was careful with her blocks now, making sure they were centered on top of on another. Cinder was impressed by her daughter's ability to learn so quickly. As the tower progressed, Reika had to reach higher and higher to place the top cube on. Finally, it was too tall for her to do it on her hands and knees.

Cinder handed a final block to Reika, then boosted her up under the armpits, allowing her to momentarily stand. She placed the block on top and laughed, giving her mother a big smile.

As Cinder pulled her hands away, she expected her daughter to stumble and fall, as she had done several times before.

Instead, Reika stood, all by herself. "Mama!" she said, waving her arms. She teetered on her feet before plopping down to her bottom.

Her mother beamed with pride, sitting down next to her to pull her daughter into her lap. "Look at you, kiddo. Standing all by yourself," she cooed, poking her stomach. "Yes, all by yourself."

Reika giggled, and rolled out of her mother's lap to build another tower.

 _Reika's age- just over a year_

Kai watched as his daughter shuffled along, taking tiny steps and clinging to Cinder's fingers. She had been coasting, walking only while holding on to the edge of a table, or anything else really. Such as their fingers.  
"Try to catch her," Cinder said suddenly, facing her husband. "Tell her to come to you, I'll let go, and she can walk on her own."

He adjusted his position on the floor. "How do you know she'll let go?" Kai looked at his daughter. "Will you walk on your own?"

"I think it'll work. She almost did it yesterday, between me and the table. Maybe," she sat down, watching her daughter, "you'll have more motivation to walk if it's between parents."

Reika looked up at her mother, puzzled. "Mama?"

"Hey, princess." Kai held his arms open. "Come on over here."

"Dada!" she squealed, and took a waddling step, still grasping Cinder's fingers. Her mother tried to gently work her fingers out of her hold, but Reika's grip was tight. Then, all at once, she mirrored her father with arms outstretched and closed the distance between them as she stumbled into his arms.

Kai stared, amazed. "Did you see that?"

"I saw it. I'm sitting right here." Cinder smirked, he rolled his eyes. She scooted over to sit next to them. "You're growing up, kiddo," she told her daughter.

"No!" Reika squeaked, giggling. "No!"

Kai caught Cinder's eye and broke into laughter.

 **Thank you to my friend for the outline help, I would have been lost in the world of distraction and writer's block all week without you. And thank you readers, for giving me a bit of your time. Have a great day/night.**

 **Also, the internet now seems to think I have a child, so thanks for that too.**


	4. Questions

Reika raced through the palace hallways, feet pattering on the carpet. Her short hair was tied back in a tiny, messy ponytail and she wore a blue shirt over soft, black pants. She was two years old, smart, fast and could not sit still for more than five minutes. As soon as she could walk properly on her own, she got into all sorts of trouble: there was one time she got her head stuck in the back of a chair. Another incident involved a game of hide and seek that lasted hours longer than intended, as she had fallen asleep in her hiding spot. At the moment, she was running from her mother in a life-or-death game of chase. Or at least it seemed that way to her.

She rounded a corner and stumbled, falling down to her knees. Before she could scramble to her feet, a pair of hands scooped her up underneath her arms.

"Gotcha!" Cinder poked her daughter's stomach, who answered with a squeal.

"Mommy, stop it!" Reika swatted at Cinder's hand.

She shifted her grip on Reika. "You're pretty fast, kiddo. I'm having trouble catching you." Cinder smiled and bounced her daughter in her arms.

"No, your legs are bigger, Mommy. Bigger legs mean faster people." Reika stated this like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Cinder laughed. "You're right. Nice detective work."

"What's a detec... what you said?"

"De-tec-tive. Someone who can figure out the answers to problems by looking at them. Like you did."

"Like how you and Daddy solve problems?"

Cinder hummed under her breath, considering. "A little bit. Daddy and I do something a little different- detectives usually solve problems that involve people doing bad things, we solve problems that have to do with all the people in our country."

" 'Kay. Can I go down now?" Reika pointed at the floor.

Cinder gently set her daughter on the ground and followed as the two-year-old walked purposely through the halls.

"Mommy?" Reika stopped and looked up at her mother. "Why is our house so big? Are all the houses in the city as big as ours?"

"No, they are not. Many of the houses out there are much smaller." Cinder pressed a hand to he daughter's back to get her to keep walking.

"How much smaller?"

"Depends on the house. The smallest might be the size of your room, but there are also much larger ones."

"But why?" she repeated.

"Well... I think Daddy might be able to answer this better, so you might want to ask him, but it's sort of because our job requires us to host big crowds of people, like the ball a few months ago." Cinder sighed. "Also, it's because of royal privilege."

"What's that?"

"Well, you're a princess, I'm an Empress, and Daddy's the Emperor. Some people think that it makes us more important than others." Cinder made a face that Reika couldn't interpret.

"Does it? And will you pick me up, Mommy?" She strained, reaching her arms toward Cinder.

"What do you say first?" Her mother crossed her arms.

"Please?"

Cinder tucked Reika back into her arms and continued walking down the hallway. "No, it doesn't make us more important. We have very important jobs to do, but that doesn't make us worth any more than someone who has nothing. Get it?"

"Not really." Reika scrunched her nose.

"It's hard to explain. We can talk about it again later, if you want."

She gave a non committal noise in response. Cinder pushed open the door leading to the gardens and the world changed from neat squares to wildness barely contained. She let a gust of warm air laced with the scents of a dozen flowers hit her face. A stream gurgled in the background, and a lone bird cried its signature tune.

Reika smiled and bounced in her mother's arms. "Can I pick a flower today?" She pointed at the tree coated with soft, pink blossoms that arched toward the sky.

"If you want," Cinder said. Before Reika could ask to be put down, she added, "But you should know that after, it will wilt and die. It'll live longer if it stays on the tree."

"Why?" Reika frowned, looking at the tree.

"Nature, kiddo. The flower needs the tree's roots to stay alive." She put Reika down again.

"What if I take one of these?" The little princess pointed at the petals that had fluttered to the ground and now lay in the grass.

Cinder smiled, and sat cross-legged next to Reika. "You can take as many of those as you want, because they're not attached to the tree. Nice thinking."

She giggled and set about picking up the pink petals, gripping them tightly in her tiny fist.

Her mother watched her, impressed and proud of her daughter's creative solutions. A buzz from her pocket cut off her train of thought. Cinder shifted her weight and pulled out her port. The screen glowed with a comm from Kai:

I've got lunch. Where are you guys?

Gardens, Cinder replied. R's picking up fallen flowers.

Ha! I'll be there in five minutes.

He came in from a door across the gardens, carrying a brown box with yellow fabric folded neatly on its top.

"Daddy!" Reika dropped her petals and dashed over to her father, who grinned and set down his package. He swung her from the ground to sit on his shoulders in one smooth a motion. She gave a shriek of delight.

"How was your morning, princess?" Kai circled his hands around her ankles, anchoring her to him.

"Good! I picked flowers, but not ones from the tree." She held out a crumpled petal for him to see, having held on to it the whole time.

"So I heard. It's very pretty." He pushed his nose against it. "And smells nice, too. Are you hungry?"

Cinder walked over and bent down to pick up the forgotten box. "I know I am." She smiled and led them back to the tree.

"Mommy, look!" Reika waved her arms, Kai winced at the sudden movement. He was a little worried she would fall backwards off her back. His daughter did not seem to return the anxiety. "I'm taller than you!" she said to Cinder.

Her mother grinned. "That you are." She put a hand above her eyes, mimicking a glare. "I can barely see you up there." She pulled a floral, yellow picnic blanket off the top of the box. It rippled in the light wind before spreading evenly on the ground.

Kai lifted Reika off his shoulder and carefully placed her down on the ground before joining Cinder, legs stretched out and crossed in front of him. He pressed a quick kiss to his wife's mouth.

She smiled and opened the box. "What did you bring us for lunch?"

"Usual. Rice, vegetables, chicken. Fun spices, requires skills I do not possess to make."

Cinder snorted. "What do you want, Reika?"

She plopped down to sit next to her mother. "Rice, please."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Just rice? How about a bit of chicken and veggies?"

Reika gave a heavy sigh and frowned at her plate: rice in a small heap, four pieces of chicken shredded small, and a few vegetables. "Fine."

Cinder caught Kai's eye over their daughter's head and smirked. He shifted his weight so it feel on his arms, one of which he placed behind her. She leaned into him in turn. They dished out food for themselves.

"What were you working on?" Cinder asked between bites. After lunch, it would be her turn to hide in the office to do official Imperial work. It worked out best if she picked up where he left off. Switching off wasn't the only method they used to balance personal and professional life, but it worked fairly well.

"Licensing for Lunar occupations. There are two extremes with the representatives: let them have equal opportunity or don't let them get jobs at all. Bioelectric security devices are going to be required any way we decide."

She nodded. "That's a given."

"What problem are you talking about, Daddy?" Reika's understanding of their job was that they solved different problems, and she liked to keep track of them.

"Lunars coming here, to the Commonwealth. We're trying to figure out rules for them." He sighed. "It's a pretty difficult problem."

" 'Kay." She looked at her plate. "Can I be done now?"

"One more bite of veggies, kiddo." Cinder scooped them up, holding them out for her daughter to take.

She chewed the bite, nose scrunched and mouth puckered into a frown. As soon as she had swallowed, she wandered around the garden looking at the flowers.

Cinder placed her plate back in the box. "Your turn to chase a two year old for hours without end." She pushed herself to her feet.

"Except I got the after lunch shift," he said, also standing. "That's when she naps."

"Well, I'll see you when she's passed out somewhere." Before she could walk away, he slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her. She smiled against his mouth and pressed a hand against his chest to break them apart.

Cinder left her husband and daughter in the sun soaked garden full of flowers and memories as she returned to the palace.

 **That was a fun one, I've been waiting a while to write dialogue between parent and child. Next chapter- there will be some Cresswell for you shippers. Thank you for your time, have a great day/night!**


	5. The Rampion

**First, I would like to apologize. I have not updated in a LONG time, and I honestly don't deserve anyone who has stuck around with this story. (You mean so much to me if you did). I was pretty busy, and then had some personal stuff to go through, and I wasn't feeling like anything I wrote was my best work, so refused to post it. I've gotten through some of that and plan to keep this story going with some existing ideas, but likely with irregular updates, especially with school coming up.**

Kai held a hand above his eyes to shield them from the midday glare. Wind whistled in his ears and tousled his hair as he watched the clear, blue sky. He, Cinder, and Reika were waiting for the arrival of the Rampion, as Cress and Thorne were coming to visit. The couple had gotten engaged a few days ago. They wanted to celebrate, and the Commonwealth was the closest to them at the time.

"Is that it?" Reika pointed at a speck in the sky from her position in Cinder's arms. She was especially excited to see her aunt and uncle.

Cinder squinted. "Maybe. I can't tell from here."

Kai lowered his hand. "I hope so, otherwise they'll be late."

"Sure, but more time waiting out here is more total time out of the office, which I am here for." She shifted her arms around Reika to get a better grip.

"I know you're hoping for a mechanical problem." He smirked at her.

"Always. Just don't tell Thorne."

He chuckled, then turned back to the speck, which had gotten significantly larger. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the Rampion."

"Yay!" Reika squealed. "Are they here now? Do we have to wait longer?"  
"Just a bit, kiddo."

The ship loomed above them, and a gust of unnatural wind whipped their faces and drowned out all other sound. The engines glowed with energy as the ship rotated slowly toward the ground. It landed safely, and was quiet for a moment. Then the hiss of pistons broke the silence as the doors were lowered to reveal Cress and Thorne.

Thorne grinned. "A welcoming party? For us? I'm truly honored, your Imperial Majesties. Really, you shouldn't have."

Cress looked at Cinder and the two shared an eyeroll. Kai sighed, and spread his arms. "Welcome to the Commonwealth, Thorne."

"There should be a 'captain' in my title, but I'll let it slide this time." He pulled Kai into a hug, then gave a half-armed embrace to Cinder as to not squish Reika. "How've you three been?"

"Good!" Reika said. "Hi, Uncle Thorne!"

"Look at you!" He grabbed her foot. "Much bigger than the last time I saw you."

"I grew," she said, beaming. "Did you grow?"

"Not as far as I know."

Cinder looked at Reika. "Can I give you to Uncle Thorne, kiddo."

"Yeah!"

Thorne reached out and pulled Reika into his arms.

She giggled, then spotted Cress behind him. "Hi!" She waved.

"Hi to you too!" Cress smiled up at the princess.

They walked into the building, chatting about what had happened recently, catching up on personal news. Cress bubbled about their recent travels: They had seen the Grand Canyon in the American Republic, and had been most recently to Mount Everest.

"And you can see for miles! We picked a clear day to go, we flew the Rampion up to the highest point on Earth. The sun was setting, and stars, it was the most breathtaking thing I've ever seen." She paused for a moment, remembering. "And then…" Cress blushed a bit, "Well, he proposed. It was a little awkward, you have to wear oxygen masks and lots of layers, you know, but it was amazing!"

Thorne smirked. "I had to make sure it was the best."

"Nice, Thorne." Kai crossed his arms, but he was smiling. "Way to set the bar impossibly high for everyone else who comes along."

Cinder knocked into him with her shoulder. "Are you wishing you did something more flashy now?"

"Are you?"

She shrugged. "I thought you proposal was very sweet."

"And…"

"And it was one of the happiest moments of my life." She rolled her eyes. "I didn't need the highest point on Earth, I needed you."

Kai flicked his eyebrows at Thorne, who only smirked.

Cinder turned to Cress. "Any wedding plans yet? Should I mark my calendar?"

Cress snorted. "We don't even know if we're inviting Carswell's parents. I think we should, but—"

"My parents didn't truly acknowledge me until I saved their lives, and now—" His eyes flashed with buried anger.

Cress put a hand on his shoulder. "They got into a another fight, just about a month ago. We were over there for dinner, and…" She trailed off, looking at the little girl in Thorne's arms who was picking at the lint on his shirt. Cress grimaced. "Maybe later."

Kai nodded, but turned to Thorne all the same. "You're the only one of our friends with living parents. Jacin is the other one. You're going to regret it if they're not there."

Thorne shook his head. "Can we talk about something less depressing, please?"

Cress perked up. "Oh! We have a gift for Reika!" She swung her messenger bag in front of her, rummaging through the various clutter she kept in there. "Here!" She brandished a small package neatly wrapped in yellow paper.

Reika beamed. "Really? For me?" She reached for the package. "Can I open it?"

"Wait a bit, kiddo." Cinder smiled.

"Uncle Thorne, I can walk now." Reika pointed at the ground.

"I guess you can." He set her on the floor, and she dashed ahead, still grasping the package. Thorne slung his arm around Cress' shoulder. She smiled and leaned into him, watching the toddler ahead of them.

"I have no idea where she's going with that," Cinder said.

"Do you want me to catch up with her?" Kai asked, beginning to roll up his sleeves.

She waved him off. "I've got it. I'll meet you..." She waited for him to fill in.

"Guest wing?" he offered.

She nodded, and broke into a light jog to catch up with her daughter.

"So what's been going on with you?" Thorne asked.

Kai shrugged. "The usual. People are angry about whatever they want to be angry about. I don't know about other countries, but we're still reeling from all the immigration laws that had to be put in place. There's no record of how it was before Luna closed itself off, and we have to figure it all out again."

Thorne grimaced. "Sounds complicated."

Cress elbowed him in the stomach good-naturedly. "Good thing it's not our job then."

Kai pretended to shudder at the thought. "Yeah, it probably is."

Thorne rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

"What have you two been doing for work?"

"After the plague was more or less eradicated, there was still a big demand for medical shipments. We take smaller jobs, when an area that usually might have to wait until the next monthly shipment for supplies needs them immediately. They put in a request, we pick it up from hospitals or care centers, then fly it out." Cress smiled. "It's really rewarding."

"It really is. We've gotten a couple nice thank-you notes. They see us as heroes." Thorne grinned.

"He cried," Cress stage-whispered.

Kai chuckled. "I guess you're really a hero now."

"Listen, I've been hero since the revolution!" He flicked his eyebrows at Kai, who cracked up.

They turned the corner into the guest wing, where they found Cinder sitting on the floor, watching Reika run around with a model of the Rampion.

Thorne clapped his hands with glee. "Does she love it or what?"

Cinder rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. "Where did you even find that?"

"A cute store near a military base in the American Republic. They had collectors versions of almost all the military ships, and less fancy toy ones," Cress said.

Reika ran over to Cress and hugged her legs. "Thank you! It's just like your ship!"

"Yeah, it is." Thorne crouched down to be eye level with her. "You're pretty smart. But do you know what it's called?"

Reika shook her head.

"It's called the Rampion."

 **Thanks for reading, and have a great day/night. If you have any ideas or things you'd like to see, just let me know. I'm pretty open at this point.**


	6. Extension: Parents and Weddings

**This is an extension of the last chapter, and came out more angsty than expected (sorry). The next chapter will be regularly scheduled fluff and whatnot.**

Cress pulled out a chair next to her fiance and plopped down across the table from Cinder and Kai.

"Coffee?" Cinder offered, holding up the pot.

"Please." Cress held out her mug, then stirred in milk before taking a careful sip. Thorne pushed his chair closer so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"Your child," Thorne pointed at the couple across from him, "is exhausting."

"She's excited to see you guys." Cinder shrugged. "Not our fault."

"Are you guys planning on anymore kids?" Cress asked.

"Actually..." Kai laced his fingers through Cinder's and gave her a smile, which she returned. "We're expecting a second."

Cress' hand flew to her mouth to hide her smile, eyes already shining.

Thorne just raised an eyebrow. "And is this one planned?"

Cinder reached across the table to punch him in the shoulder. "Of course, you idiot."

He raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry!"

"Just don't talk to Reika about it," Kai said. "We haven't told her. We're waiting a little just to make sure."

They nodded.

"In a totally different topic," Cinder said, "Thorne, what happened with your parents?"

He grimaced. "It's a long story."

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like I'm doing anything else tonight?"

Thorne sighed. "Okay." He rolled his shoulders back. "A few months after the whole deal with the Lunar Operatives, I got a comm from my mother inviting me to dinner. I brought Cress, of course, but they seemed to think I wouldn't be with her anymore, or wouldn't bring her."

Cress joined quickly. "But I didn't realize that at the time, they were very polite. I don't have much experience with families-" at this Thorne squeezed her arm "so I just assumed that parents were just stiff and reserved to their adult children."

Thorne picked up the story. "Anyway, we enjoyed the most formal family meal ever, then left. No nice to meet you, no come back soon. Maybe it was still awkward for them, because it definitely was for me.

"Anyway, a while goes by- how long?" He looked at Cress. "A few months, almost a year? Doesn't matter. Point is, out of the blue, I get another comm. Another dinner, slightly less awkward. I guess at this point I'm hoping that I can really have a family, with reliable parents."

Cress gave him a sad look as he curled his free hand into a fist.

He continued. "There are a few more dinners in between, and compared to my earlier relationship with my parents, it's going great. But about a month ago, they invite us again. Instead of just them, like usual, it's some crazy fancy party where everyone is dressed up and asking us such idiotic questions." He shook his head.

Cress cringed. "It was overwhelming. We were underdressed, and they wouldn't stop commenting. Somehow we got separated, and suddenly there's a crowd of people around me asking questions and poking at me."

"I didn't realize this," Thorne said, " 'cause I was a little busy talking to my mother. She was asking lots of questions about me and Cress, and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to tell her that I planned to marry her. That I wanted to propose soon." He was silent for a moment. "She just sort of stared for a second, then said something along the lines of ' _I didn't think it was a serious relationship'._ Which was just so confusing, we'd been coming over dinner for years, y'know? And Cress was there _every single time._ "

Cress nodded, watching him.

"So then my dad comes over, and our relationship is still incredibly… tedious, I guess." He shrugged. "And he asks what's going on, and then when my mother's filled him in, he laughs. He says 'You won't last' and he starts laughing. 'You're kidding. You? Faithful?'" Thorne looked down for a minute to pause, and Cress jumped in.

"I finally made my way over to him, just in time to hear this, and then his mother pulls me aside and says that she thinks her husband has heard some rumor that Carswell was seen with another woman, which seems really unlikely to me." At this, Thorne looked up with a pained smile. "But she was rather insistent that that's what her husband knew for a fact, though she told me it was rumors."

Thorne shook his head. "The whole conversation didn't make much sense, so when I spotted Cress, I left my dad mid-conversation, and we just sort of avoided them until all the guests left. We go to confront them, and they act like it didn't happen at all. So I tell them again, that I plan to marry her.

"They take it fairly well, say they're happy for us. Then my mother just takes over and starts to plan it all out."

Cress shook her head, eyebrows scrunched together. "She wanted us to have it at some enormous hall, and invite all their elite social friends, people who we didn't even know. And I'm definitely not comfortable with that, and he's not either." She pointed at Thorne. "So I tell her that we were planning for it to be small, just friends and family."

"She didn't take that very well," Thorne said, with a little eye roll. "Apparently, as 'Earth's Heroes' our marriage needs to be some sort of spectacle. I think that's ridiculous, and I told her that, and then we just… left." He paused, letting out a sigh. "Maybe it wasn't the most mature thing to do, but I was angry. And I don't particularly want to invite them to the wedding if they're just going to disapprove, or try to plan it all out for us."

Kai cringed. "It's definitely not an ideal situation. But they're still your _parents_."

"In the loosest sense of the word."

Cinder tapped her fingers on the table. "If you do decide to invite them, you could make it explicitly clear that they are there as _guests_ , to support their _son_ , and nothing else. No planning, no social maneuvers."

Thorne snorted. "Like they'd listen."

"They might," Cress said, covering his hand with her own, "if they care about you."

"It sounds like they do," Kai said. "After all, they made the effort to invite you two to a private dinner."

Thorne, shrugged, deflated. "Maybe. But eventually, it's too late, right?"

Cress was silent, for a moment, remembering her own father. If he had lived, would she have felt the same? Was he too late to really be part of her life?

Cinder was looking at her hands, and Kai just watched Thorne with a sad expression.

Thorne shook his head, like he was clearing out the last few minutes. "Anyway, we're here to have fun, aren't we? Less depressing conversation."

They chatted for a little while longer, and the mood lightened soon after, but Cress kept thinking about what Thorne had said. And she kept thinking about it all evening.

She stared at the patterns swirling on the ceiling, turning her few moments with father over and over in her head. _Would it have been too late?_

Thorne pulled back the covers next to her and lay down, kissing her lightly on the cheek. He saw the look on her face and sat up. "What are you thinking about?"

She turned her head and looked into his blue, troubled eyes. "My father."

He pursed his lips. "And?"

"What you said earlier, about your parents being too late. If he had lived, would it have been too late for us to be close?" She sighed.

"Well, what do you think now? If he was alive, right here, do you think you could get to know him and have an actual father-daughter relationship."

She shook her head. "But he's not here. What's the point of thinking about it?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're the dreamer. You tell me."

"I don't know. I think I'd want to have a father, though."

He nodded. "I wanted my parents' approval so much when I was younger, and when that didn't happen, I stopped caring what they wanted or thought. I guess I still feel that way, at least a little bit. I don't want to hear what they have to say about what I'm doing wrong, and I just tune out the rest of it."

Cress let their breathing fill the silence. "Love is a choice, isn't it? You have to want to love someone for it to be real."

Thorne pushed himself under the covers to lie down next to her. He tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear with a small smile."If anything, I choose to love you."

She kissed him, and curled into his arms.

 **Fun. Anyway, next chapter I'll cover kid #2, centered around Reika's POV. Thanks for your time, have a good day/night.**


	7. Number Two

Cinder couldn't focus. She tapped her stylus relentlessly on the edge of her desk, biting her lip. She had to scan the message glowing on her port three times before she understood that those were _words_ that she was looking at, not some sort of squiggly hieroglyphic.

She exhaled sharply through her nose and flipped her port upside down so the string of words stopped spiraling through her head. Elbows on the desk, she massaged her temples, hoping to ease the pounding headache of stress.

 _She had to tell Kai._

But he was busy preparing the address for the press tomorrow, he was already taking on some of the work that should have been hers. He had silently noticed her constant state of distraction and had just assumed she'd tell him when she was ready.

Or that was what she figured he thought. In her current state, that might not be entirely accurate.

Cinder sighed again. Hesitantly, she moved a hand to rest lightly over her stomach.

 _Another child._

Not that she wasn't absolutely ecstatic to have another family member, and she knew that Kai would be too. And Reika- she would love this. Maybe even more than her parents. Just the thought brought a smile to Cinder's lips.

Obviously, she would tell them soon. When they had a moment to really talk. But this new child deserved undivided attention when they were to be revealed.

Enough break. Cinder flipped her port back up and pulled up the window to draft the comm that should have been sent hours ago.

She churned through her work for the three hours, not letting her mind go to anything that wasn't in front of her. She was almost shocked to see the time that had passed when she checked the clock in her head.

Shaking her head, she rubbed her eyes and pushed her chair from the desk. She made for the nearby advisor's office, figuring she'd chat with Torin for a few minutes and get his opinion on the recent news report. Figures and statistics swirled through her brain, but under them lay constant reminder of what she'd have to do, and soon.

Cinder was so off in her own world, eyes on the floor, that she slammed right into her husband, who had turned over his shoulder to get in one last word to whomever he was speaking with.

He laughed, and laced his fingers behind her back. "Hey there." A corner of his mouth twitched upward in a smirk.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Watch where you're going, Emperor." It was her turn to give a lopsided grin. But the action was halfhearted, her eyes drifting along with her mind to somewhere aside from what was in front of her.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "That was most definitely your fault."

She tore her eyes away from the spot on the wall she'd momentarily become intently focused on. "Hmm?" Blinking, she said, "Yeah, probably."

Kai's brow furrowed and he frowned, watching her.

Without looking at him, she motioned toward the direction she'd been walking in. "I've got to finish a few things up, I'll see you for dinner?"

Before she could walk away, he grabbed her hands. "Actually, I need to talk to you." Seeing the look on her face, he said, "Just a few minutes. I promise."

She leaned against the wall and gave his hands a squeeze. "Sure, yeah. What's going on?" He didn't notice her nervous swallow as she wondered if this was some perfect opportunity to finally get _it_ off her chest.

Kai looked into her eyes, as if he was searching for something. He took in a breath. "You seem kind of… I don't know, distant recently. I didn't want to push, but it's been going on for a while now, and I just wanted to make sure you're okay, and that it wasn't all too much, and if you need a break, you just have to -"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted, unable to listen to him stumble through his words any longer. She bit her lip. Bad time? To fast?

He did a double take. "You're what." It was more statement than question.

" _Pregnant._ "

Kai gave a halting laugh. "No, I heard you. Just not really what I was expecting." He pushed his hand through his hair, giving her a strangled grin as he shook his head.

She pursed her lips. "This good, right?" Her eyes were wide, scanning his.

He broke out into a full smile. "Of course it is!" He shook his head, laughing, and he grabbed her face to pull her into a kiss. When they pulled apart, his hands lingered there, his eyes troubled. "Just… How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me?" His thumb brushed along her cheek, light as a feather.

Cinder curled her shoulders inward. "I've known for about a week and a half. Why I didn't tell you…" She looked away, searching for a valid answer. "I don't really know. There was just a lot going on, and I wanted to be sure, and I didn't want to add to all your stress-"

"So you shouldered the burden yourself? Cinder…" Kai bit his lip.

She wrapped her hands around his wrists, holding him to her. "It's not a burden, Kai." She frowned a little.

His eyes cleared for a second. "Of course not. Poor choice of words." His gaze clouded again. "But this isn't something you should take on alone. We're a team, we're _family_." Kai knocked his forehead against hers, their breath mingling. His eyes stayed steady on hers, serious, and very, very close. "We do this together, because it's easier that way."

"I know," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't know if the time was right to tell you, and I just let the moments when I could have said something fly right by." She shuffled just a little closer. "I'm sorry."

Kai smiled, eyes soft. Just the love shining on his face sent a rush of warmth through Cinder's spine. "There'll never be a right time, you know. We just have to tell each other regardless."

"Mmm."

"Promise you're going to tell me right away next time something life shattering comes up?" he breathed.

She looked straight into his eyes. "I promise."

She felt his exhale as the tension left her body as well.

He tipped up her chin and brought her close, until the distance between their lips was practically nonexistent. Then she closed the final gap. Her hands moved to his shoulders, his neck, then buried themselves in his hair. Kai's hands moved in the opposite direction to curl around her waist. He pulled them closer together, pressing against her.

Cinder broke off the kiss, trying to catch her breath.

"I love you," he whispered against her mouth.

She answer with another kiss. Her hands curled in the fabric of his shirt above his chest.

They stilled for a moment, and Cinder rested her head above his heart to hear its steady, pulsing beat. His hand moved to rest on her stomach, and she wrapped her fingers around his forearm.

They stood like that for a moment, as their hearts beat simultaneously. Their eyes remained closed as they took a deep breath, taking each other in.

Without another word, they slid past each other in the directions they had originally been going. Both of their faces bore grins of pure happiness.

* * *

Reika pushed to the food on her plate to the right side, looking at it from where her chin was balanced on her hand. She scrunched her nose, deciding she didn't particularly like it there, and scraped it to the left. That wasn't right, either. She started to pile it all up in the center when her dad touched her hand.

"Don't play with your food, kiddo." He gave her a stern look.

She pushed her plate away and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "I wasn't!"

"Are you going to eat anymore?" Cinder asked, reaching across the table to wipe something off her daughter's face.

"No," Reika said, leaning forward. "Can I be excused?" A beat. "Please?"

"Actually," Kai said, locking eyes with Cinder, "Wait a minute. Mommy and I have something to tell you."

Cinder nodded. "It'll just be a minute."

"Then I can go play?" Reika asked, a plea in her eyes.

"Of course."

" 'Kay." She grabbed the edge of the table. "What is it?"

Cinder reached across the table to take Kai's hand, then she looked at her daughter, smiling. "You're going to have a baby sibling in a few months."

" _Really?_ " Reika shouted, eyes wide.

Kai put a finger to his lips. "Indoor voices, please." When he saw her tiny nod, he continued. "Yes, really. Sometime in late June, maybe July."

Reika bounced in her seat. "I'm going to have a baby sister!" Her grin stretched from ear to ear.

Cinder laughed. "It might be a brother, Rei."

The little girl shook her head vigorously. "No, it's gonna be a sister. I know it."

Kai placed his elbows on the table. "Well, I know it's going to be a boy." He raised his eyebrows at Reika.

She giggled. "No, Daddy, you're wrong!" Kai faked offense at her confidence.

"How about this," Cinder offered, "We'll keep it a surprise, so we won't know if it's a boy or a girl until the day they're born. And then we'll see which one of you is right."

"What do I win if I'm right?' Reika asked, the looked at her father and crossed her arms. "And I'm right, so I know I'm gonna win."

Cinder shrugged. "A baby sister?" Kai coughed a laugh.

"Okay," Reika sighed, "But where is my baby sister?"

Her mother placed a hand on her stomach. "They're growing in here."

"In your tummy?" Reika's eyes were wide. "How big will it get?"

Kai covered his mouth with his hand as he snorted.

Cinder shot him a look. "About this big." She showed Reika the dimensions. "At least, that's how big you were."

"Really? I was in there? I don't remember it." She gave Cinder's stomach an incredulous look.

"No, you were very, very little. But I remember it," Cinder replied. "Eventually, we'll be able to feel this baby kick, just like you did."

"Wow," Reika breathed. She gazed at her mother's stomach and hoped with all her being that the baby would be a girl.

* * *

Kai led his daughter through hall, her hand in his. He was bursting with happiness, and he couldn't wait to share it with Reika. They had a new family member. Finally, after all these months of waiting.

When they reached the door, he crouched down to be eye level with her. "You've got to be quiet when you go in, okay kiddo?" He brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face. "Mommy's just worked really, really hard, and she's very tired. So inside voices, got it?"

Reika nodded, grinning. "Got it!"she whispered.

Kai stood and pushed the door open, one hand on his daughter's back. Reika looked at the tiny bundle in her mother's arms and ran over. Clambering onto the bed, she beheld the new human being asleep in front of her. She let out a little gasp.

Cinder gave her daughter a tired smile. "Reika, meet your new brother. His name is Kasem."

Kai smiled at the name they had picked out months ago. One boy, one girl. And here he was, finally. _Kasem_. He couldn't think of a better name.

Reika reached out a tentative hand, and seeing her mother's nod, lay it lightly on her sleeping brother's forehead.

His eyes cracked open, and they met hers. Reika's gaze filled with wonder as she took in a sharp breath.

"I don't care that he's a boy," she declared, her words barely more than a breath. "He's the best brother ever."

Cinder's eyes met Kai's, both welling with tears of joy.

The four of them sat in that room in awed silence.

A family.

 **Hey. So. Some stuff.**

 **First of all, thank you for reading. It truly means a lot to me.**

 **Second, I would like to apologize for the infrequency of updates. Life just gets out of control sometimes, and I want to post my best. That's really important to me (and hopefully for you too).**

 **Which brings me to the third thing: I'm changing up how this story is going- switching from basically unrelated slice-of-life chapters to an actual story with a plot. (17 chapter plan, kiddos. I have no idea how that will translate). So here's the thing. Though the characters will be the same from here to the next phase, all of this is a long-winded exposition, and to be honest, it will kind of hinder the plot. This has led me to 2 options: delete all the previous chapters, replace with a much more to-the-point introduction, and start this monster project right here. Alternatively, I keep this as a separate story and click that complete button, and then start this new project in an entirely new story.**

 **But really, I don't want this to be my choice, because this is written for you, the readers. So if you have an opinion,** ** _please_** **leave me a review, send me a private message, send a homing pigeon. Tell me whether I should let this rot in the depths of the internet for me to find in 20 years or kiss it goodbye and swap it all out for the start of something I hope I can be proud of. Both options seem great, honestly.**

 **Thanks for reading my long author's note. I hope you have a wonderful day/night.**

 **-isolatedsociety**


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